Fertilizer-distributer



C. D. STRATTON.

FERTILIZER DISTRIBUTER. lAPPLICATION FILED MAY 6| 19H. RENEWED NOV. 16' l9l7. V

"1 ,3 1 4,546 Patented Sept. 2, 1919.

-UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES D. STRATTON, OF CLINTON, NEW YORK, .ASSIGNOR TO GEORGE WILLIAM BROWN ING, 0F CLINTON, NEW YORK.

FERTILIZER-DISTRIBUTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 2, 1919.

Application filed May 6, 1914, Serial No. 836,687. Renewed November 16, 1917. Serial No. 202,425.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES D. STRAT- ToN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Clinton, in the county of Oneida. and State of New York, have invented or discovered certain new and useful Improvements in Fertilizer-Distributers, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to portable, handoperated distributers or droppers for dry fertilizer, and has for its objects to provide a device of this character which may be quickly and conveniently manipulated, which will at each operation discharge a predetermined quantity of fertilizer and distribute or spread the same in a predetermined manner, which will act to mix the fertilizer so discharged with the soil, which may be employed as a combined planter and fertilizer depositor, and which may be used even in wet or windy weather without clogging and without danger of loss or improper distribution of the fertilizer'.

These and other objects of the invention, together with means whereby the same may be carried into effect, will best be understood from the following description of one form or embodiment thereof illustrated in the accompanying drawings. It will be understood, however, that the particular construction described and shown has been chosen for illustrative purposes merely, and that the invention may lhe otherwise embodied without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.

In said drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view, partly broken away, of the complete device, illustrating the method of use.

Fig. 2 isa central vertical section show'' ing the feeder valves in normal position.

Fig. 3 is a similar view of a portion of Fig. 2 showing the feeder valves in discharging position.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on the line' 4 4, Fig. 2.

The device comprises a tubular body 10 having a flaring or frusto-conical lower end 11 and upon which is superimposed a fertilizer hopper 12 having a funnel-shaped y lower end 13 terminating in a feeder tube 14 communicating with the upper end of the body 10.

Fixed within the flaring lower end 11 of the body 10, as by means of rods, bolts or rivets 15, is a hollow conical spreader 16 spaced Iby said rods or bolts 15 from the lower end of said body to provide an annular discharge space 17. Within the lower end of said spreader is arranged a presser plate 18 for a purpose presently to be described. Said presser plate may be secured to the spreader 16 |by any suitable means, as by folding the lower edge 19 of the spreader over a suitably disposed flange on the presser-plate, as shown in Fig. 1. Preferably, however, and as shown in Fig. 2, said presser plate is detachably secured to said spreader as by means of screws 34. The lower edge or rim 19 of the spreader 16 extends below the lower end of the body and below the presser plate 18, thereby loeating the discharge space slightly above the extreme lower end of the complete device.

The upper end of the body 10 as shown is closed by a cap 20 having a central opening to receive the feeder tube 14 which is secured thereto in any suitable manner, as by Soldering or brazing, said feeder tube being further secured to and spaced from the wall of the body 10 by a spider 21. The

top 23 of the hopper 12 is formed with a suitable charging opening closed by a preferably hinged door or cover 22. Coaxially arranged with respect to the feeder tube 14 and coperating therewith is a pair of conical feeder valves 24 and 25 carried by an operating rod 26 which extends through the hopper 12 and through a suitable opening or guide 27 in the upper end thereof. Carried by the rod 26 within the hopper 12 above the valve 24 is an agitator 28, herein shown as comprising a series of radial arms on a collar fixed to said rod. The feeder valves 24 and 25 are preferably relatively adjustable upon the rod 26, and to this end, in the construction shown, the valve 25 is in threaded engagement with the lower end of said rod, whereby by turning the same it may be moved toward and from the valve 24 to adjust the distance between the two.

The rod 26 is secured at its upper end to a combined supporting and operating handle 29 extending transversely of the apparatus and provided with depending legs 30 which are guided for vertical movement in vertical tubular guides 31 carried by the hopper 12.

v spreader.

Adjacent their lower ends the legs 30 Yare provided with 'stops '32 coperating with the lower ends of the guides 31 to limit the ver-V tical movement of the handle 29, said stops, as herein shown, comprising nuts in thread ed engagement with the lower ends of said arms and ad'j'ustable'thereon to adjust the stroke ofjthe Vhandle 29 in accordance with the relative adjustment of the feeder valves 24 and 25.

In use the device is carried inthe hand by the handle 29, 'the stops 32 engaging the lowere'nds of the qguides 31 `and limiting the upward movement of said handle, and the 'parts being in the normal position shown in Fig. V2 with thev'alve 25 closing the upper end` of the feeder tube 14. Vhen it `is desi'red to deposit a -predetermined quantity ,of fertilizer vthe lower end V19 of the spreader 16 Vis.f placedyi'ipon the ground aft the desired fpoint--cf deposit `and the handle -29 l.pressed downwardly, thereby 'forcing said lower end the handle 29 causes a corresponding downward vmovement of the lrod 26 lcarrying with it the feeder valves 24 and 25. As the valve 25 ifnoves `downward-ly -a 'quantity of fertilizer-from the hopper 12 is 'permitted to, fall into l'the feeder tube '14 above 'said valve, after which the valve 24 closes the upper end of said feeder tube while the fva'lv'e -25 opens 'the lower -end thereof, as shown in Fig. r3, permitting said fertilizer Atodrp from 1thelower -end of said tube upon 'the vupper end of the spreader 16 and ytobe discharged through the opening 17 in Athe form .o'f `-a ring surrounding said engagement with the ilower 'ends of the Fguidfes 31 andthe idevice as a whole raised.

vrAs 1'the lower 'edge 19 of the spreader 16,

which has been pressed into the ground, leaves thesame the action, by ireason ofthe Ainclination ofsaid'edge, is-to-li'ft a quantity of `soil "and -miX `'the ysaine with the vfertilizer 'deposited to a :certain extent land lpartially cover said fertilizer. Y

1n using the device in planting potatoes andthe like, va :potato (shown at'33 in'Figu 1') is ylirstdropp'ed 'at-the desiredpint,-after whichthe lower'end'ofthe device is placed upon thesameand operated as above described. During 4this operation the fpresser plate 18"-engages the fpotato'and forces the `sameintothe fground, while a ring or fertili'zer lis l'deposited yaround the same, and

-upon withdrawal of the edge '19 of theA -spreader from'the'soilthepotato as 'well'as the fertilizer is partially covered. v

-`For use in' connectionwith growing :plants for the .purpose fdepositingaring of fertilizer around the same the presser plate 18 izer would Vfa or the other of theapex ofthe spreader 16 landtherefore bethickly deposited in a por- 'tion only ofa'completecircle. Y

'By the use of `the feeder valves'24fv and 25 1?he'hai1dle129v is thereupon lift- Y ed, Ithe'first operation `beingto restore the "valves 24 fand 25er-tc vtheir normal position, `a'fter which "the 'stops 32 'are brought into posited, which quantity is, however, imme- -improper distribution ofl thev fertilizer 4by per end of the spreader 16 it is .properly di's- .posed with .respect thereto 'to vbe evenly yspread at the discharge opening 17 This `combination of the conical feeder valve with a conical spreader is consideredfto be of considerable importance inasmuch as it avoids,

toza considerable extent, the necessity of holding the device in an accurately vertical `position when operating the saine inl order to vproduce an even distribution of the'lfer-V tilizer.

clination' and the fertilizer discharged findiscriminately into 'the body '10, said fertil- "l largely or wholly at one side inxconnection with the feeder tube 121 a very 4delicate regulationvof 4the amount of ferti-v lizer ldeposited at each operationlmay be ef! fected, whichamount may be varied at will :by adjustment of the valve l25.

The agitator '28 serves yat each operationy tostir or break, up ythe fertilizerin the .hop-y per 12, thereby insuring ,the Aproper opera-Y tion of the device even -indamp weather. l -From the foregoing it will be seen, that a I device is provided which vmay be easily and expeditiously operated to depositfat each operation a perfectly regulated amount ,of fertilizer, to spread the'same evenlyfin'the desired manner, and to incorporate the same with thesoil. It will also be seen lthat the fertilizer isV completely inclosed at all timesdi until a predetermined quantity has beendediately mixed with-or covered bythe-soil, sothat the devicefcan besafely operated in windy weatherjwithout danger lof loss :0r-

being blown away.v

I do not claim broadly in thisapplication thef special -fertilizing :feeding means herein Ashown v and described, as this vfeature of L,the

invention is claimed Iinjniy application Se- 125 rial No. 267,265, -led December 18,1918 as a-division of this application.

'Having thus described \my :invention I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent: 1. A fertilizer distributer comprising a It is to be noted in thisconnection j that, with the-device heid at a Slight in- "90j ioo iio

tubular body and a conical spreader fixed at the lower end of said body and spaced therefrom to provide an annular discharge space, said spreader having a downwardly projectingedge or rim extending below said body 2. A fertilizer distributer comprising a tubular body and a conical spreader fixed within the lower end of said body and spaced therefrom to provide an annular discharge space, said spreader having a flaring or conical and downwardly projecting edge or rim extendingV below said body and adapted to enter the soil.

3. A fertilizer distributer comprising a tubular body, a conical spreader within the lower end of said body and spaced therefrom to provide an annular discharge space, and a presser plate carried by said spreader', the lower edge of said spreader projecting below said presser plate.

4. A fertilizer distributer comprising a tubular body, a conical spreader within the lower end of said body and spaced therefrom to provide an annular discharge space, and a presser plate carried by said spreader, the lower edge of said spreader projecting below said presser plate and below said body.

5. A fertilizer distributer comprising a tubular body, a hopper at the upper end thereof, feed controllin means for the hopper, a transporting han le movably mounted on the hopper, connections between said handle and the feed controlling means, a conical spreader liXed at the lower end of said body and spaced therefrom to provide an annular discharge space, said spreader having a downwardly projecting edge or rim extending below said body.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES D. STRATTON.

Witnesses:

GEORGE W. SANBERRY, FERD A. KLEIN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

